This invention relates to modular furniture units such as sofas, beds, chairs and loveseats.
A sofa is traditionally constructed with a seat base section permanently fastened to armrest and backrest sections and then upholstered. The finished sofa is then transported for storage or display in a store. However, a finished sofa occupies a relatively large amount of space, meaning that it is inefficient to transport and store finished traditional sofas.
It is known to provide modular furniture pieces that can be assembled by fastening pre-upholstered components to one another. A modular sofa is more convenient and efficient to store and transport than a traditional sofa since the constituent elements can be disassembled for shipment between the manufacturing facility and the store or between the store and a consumer""s dwelling place. Also, heavy or awkwardly-shaped sofas may be difficult or impossible to move through certain doorways, hallways or staircases, whereas modular furniture can be moved first and then assembled at a destination. From a shipping perspective, the amount of furniture that can be packed within a particular space increases where large furniture units can be disassembled, thereby reducing shipping and transport costs.
Some existing modular furniture involve units assembled by fastening the constituent components together using a plurality of fastener arrangements (e.g. nut and bolt) that typically require tools. It would be advantageous to be able to quickly and easily assemble and disassemble the components without the need to utilize tools.
It would also be advantageous for a furniture piece to be capable of being reconfigured by adding, removing or repositioning certain of the constituent components in order to change the appearance or functional capacity of the furniture unit. However, most prior art modular furniture pieces are capable of being assembled in only one manner, without any regard for later changing the appearance or functionality of the furniture piece.
There is a sofa sold under the trademark CAMËLËN(trademark) which includes backrest and armrest portions which can be interchanged and repositioned relative to a seat base. In the CAMËLËN(trademark) sofa, the backrest and armrest portions have a downwardly extending post which is received within apertures within the sofa seat base. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that the apertures are exposed on the top surface of the seat base when they are not utilized.
The need has therefore arisen for a modular furniture unit that is multi-functional and capable of being reconfigured or reshaped by quickly and easily adding, removing or repositioning constituent furniture modules.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention a furniture unit with a base is disclosed. The base is for supporting a cushion thereupon. The base has a frame capable of releasably securing at least one furniture module having at least one tongue portion with a free end. The frame has a plurality of interconnected upright walls and at least one of the walls defines a plurality of slots therethrough. The slots are dimensioned for insertion of the free end of the tongue portion to releasably secure the furniture module to the base. The walls are covered by a cover member which has a gap therein for providing access to insert the tongue portion into the slots to releasably secure the furniture module to the base. The cover member also has means for opening and sealing the gap, such as a continuous two-way zipper, strips of self-gripping fabric, buttons, snaps or the like. The furniture unit may have one or more furniture modules, including back wall members, side wall members, armrest members, backrest members, footrest members, seat cushion extension members, base members and combinations thereof. The furniture unit can be configured to form a bed, sofa, sectional. chair or loveseat. The cover member may be made from leather or a fabric material.
Preferably, the slots extend substantially the length of the wall in a side by side linear arrangement. Preferably each of the walls have a plurality of slots extending substantially the length of the walls side by aide linear arrangements. Preferably the linear arrangements have a common vertical position so that a linear arrangement of the slots extends substantially around the perimeter of the frame.
The furniture unit may include means for releasably retaining the tongue portions within the slots to releasably secure the furniture module to the frame. In one aspect of the invention, the tongue portion and slots may each have a downwardly angled orientation, preferably approximately 110xc2x0. The tongue portion and slots may also be horizontally oriented. In another aspect of the invention, the frame may comprise flanges attached to the walls and positioned on edges of the slots for engagement with at least one kerf defined in the tongue portions. Two flanges may be positioned on opposite edges of each slot and kerfs may be defined in the top and bottom surface of the tongue portion. In another aspect of the invention, the frame may also have pins positioned proximal to the slots on the interior of the frame. In this aspect of the invention, the tongue portion has an aperture therein for accommodating the insertion of a pin when the tongue portion is inserted into a slot. The pins may be attached to and extending downwardly from top ties attached to and extending downwardly from upper portions of the frame walls. In another aspect of the invention, the furniture module may have a locking tab positioned near the free end of the tongue portion, the locking tab having a width smaller than the height of the slots and a height greater than the height of the slots. The locking tab is turned perpendicularly to the slots by means of a knob on the exterior of the furniture module after insertion of the free end of the tongue into a slot. The knob may be operatively connected to the locking tab by a rod extending through the furniture module. The rod may be a straight rod attached at a first end to the knob and attached at a second end to the locking tab.
The tongue portion may be part of a generally L-shaped bar which has its upright portion secured to a rigid frame member within a furniture module. A furniture module may have two tongue portions.
The base may be utilized as part of a convertible sofa-bed unit in another aspect of the invention. The unit forms a sofa having side and back walls by releasably securing side wall members and back wall members to the base through the insertion of the tongues into the slots. The unit forms a bed when the side wall members and back wall members are released from the base by removing the tongue portions from the slots.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the base may also be utilized as part of a modular furniture system capable of forming a plurality of different furniture units. Furniture modules may be repositioned and releasably secured at a plurality of different locations on the base frame to provide for many different configurations.